Alfred s



A. S. CURNEY.

AUTOMATLC SPRINKLER HEAD CHECK.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-4,1920- 1,482,386 Patented Oct. 17, 1922.

1 Y INVENTOH A. 5,521 r776 By m Patented Oct. 17, 1922.

UNITED s'rnres A RED s. summer, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.-

: UTOMATIC srnrNKn'aie-rrnen o HEoKi Application filed December 4, 1520. Serial No. 128,350,

Checks, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic sprinkler head checks, and more particularly to a novel valve which is used in connection with an ordinary sprinkler head, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein de scribed and claimed.

Considerable trouble has been experienced in the type of automatic fire sprinkler head valves which are now in use, inthat there is no way of stopping the water that is pouring out of the sprinkler heads, after the valves have been opened by the melting of their fusible retaining members, due to the fire. In the ordinary systems, the water can only be shut off at its source. Besides the shutting 01f of the water at its source, the water in. the pipes which extend through an entire building has to be drained off before the ordinary'sprinkler head valve can be closed, or the sprinkler head replaced by a new one.

The principal objectof this invention is to provide a simple-and positive means for shutting off the water at the sprinkler head instead of at the source of supply, thus stopping the flow of water and permitting the replacement of a new head or the resetting of the old one. I

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described which is simple in construction and operation, relatively cheap to manufacture, and not. likely to easily get out of order. 1

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional view of the device as shown, applied to a water pipe,

Figure 2 is another sectional view of the device as sh0wn,'applied to a water pipe, and

Figure 3 is still another sectional View of the device. I

In carrying out my invention, I provide substantiallycylindrical casing 1 which has an enlarged compartment 2;'and a cylindrical passage-way '3 which is internally threaded at 1 and is adapted to receive the threaded base of an ordinary sprinkler "head The compartment "2 .has' a centrally threaded bore 6 in one end which is adapted toreceive an externally threaded bushing t will be noticed in the drawing that the bushing 7 is also internally threaded and receives one end of a nipple 8. The other end'of the nipple 8 is screwed into a T which forms a part of the piping system.

Slidably disposed in the passage-way 8 is a check valve consistingof a head9which has four upwardly extending guide arms 10 which are integral therewith. The outer surfaces of the arms 10 arefarcuate in shape and are adapted to slidably engage the wall of the passage-way 3. "lhe passage-way 3 is provided with a seat 12- at the junction of the passage-way 3 and the compartment 2, the seat being adapted to receive the beveled edge 13 of the head 9.

' From the foregoin'g description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. In normal position, which, is the position of the valve as illustrated in Figure 1, the longitudinal axis of the casing l is vertical, thus permitting free movement of the valve 9. As shown in Fig. 1, the sprinkler head is screwed down into the passage-way 3 a predetermined distance. This will allow the valve 9 to be moved away from the opening 6, but it will not allow the valve to become seated in the passage-way 3, as the arms 10 of the valve 9 engage the base of the spinkler head 5 and thus stop the valve from any Irlurther movement in the direction of the ass.

Assume that the sprinkler head has been inserted in the casing 1 and the valve is in the position shown in Figure 1 when the water is allowed to enter the pipes 1 1. It will be seen that as the water rushes into the T, it will surge through the nipple 8 and into the compartment 2 and the passageway 3, carrying the valve in an upward direction until the arms 10 engage the base of the sprinkler head 5. After the casing 1 has been filled with water the valve'9 will again settle down to the position shown in Fig. 1, due to its own weight. The device as it now stands is ready for instant action. Assume now that avfire has started and the flames have become hot enough to actuate the sprinkler head to release the water. The water instantly rushesfrom the T, through the nipple 8, raises the valve 9 until its arms 10 engage the base of the sprinkler head 5, rushes through the openings made between the arms 10, throughthe passage-way 3, the sprinkler head 5, and onto the blazing timbers (see Fig. 8). The water keeps on pouring out of the sprinkler head 5 until a fireman or any other one stops any further flow of the water by just removing the sprinkler head 5. The removal of the sprinkler head 5, as will be seen in Figure 2, allows the valve 9 to be carried upwardly! by the force of the water, since the arms 10 are free to move, and firmly seats the valve on the seat 12 of the passage-way 3. This immediately closes th passage-way 3 so that no more Water can pass therethrough.

A new sprinkler head can be screwed into the passageway 3, thus forcing the arms of the valve 9 downwardly, and opening the valve. The placing of another sprinkler head 5 in the passage-way 3 again makes the device ready for instant action in case way leading therefrom, a check valve hav ing a plurality of arms adapted to slidably engage said passageway and a removable sprinkler head for normally preventing the I seating of the check valve.

4. A device of the type described comprising a casing having a cylindrical passage-way leading therefrom, a check valve having a plurality. of arms adaptedv to slidably engage said passage-way, and a removable sprinkler head adapted to engage said arms and to keep said valve open, said valve being adapted to close the opening oi' said move 5. A device of the type described comprising a casing having a reduced cylindrical passage-way leading therefrom, a check valve having a plurality! of. arms adapted to slidably engage said passageway, a seat formed at the inner end of said passage-way, said check valve havinga head adapted to be received in the seat, and a sprinkler head screwed into the open end of said passage-way and being adapted to abut the ends of the arms of said check valve, whereby the latter is normally kept open.

ALFRED s. CURNEY.

Cpassage-way when said means is 're- 

